by Jim Barnes
Merry Christmas to all of you out there. On that note, the following is a report from our correspondent, Nick Korolev:
The first weekend in December Rick “Byrdie” Byrd and I with the Federal Generals Corps made our annual pilgrimage to one of our favorite living history events that has become a part of our holiday celebrations – Bedford Village, Bedford, PA for their Civil War Christmas. Different Civil War units both Union and Confederate and the Hancock Society were assigned cabins and buildings which we all decorated with greens in period style and from 7 to 11 pm on Saturday we presented different living history scenarios for the candle light walk when the whole village comes alive with flickering candle and lamplight in old fashioned Christmas cheer as an island of peace amid a turbulent time in our history.
Here is a report on the Charleston, WV Veteran’s Day parade by Bill Donegan: On November 11th, 2010 Linda and I attended the 68th annual Veteran’s day parade in Charleston, West Virginia. This year’s parade was a special feature for World War Two “ Rosie the Riveters”. The parade organizers had specifically reques...
On the weekend of November 6, I was able for the first time, to take part in a WWI event at the GWA site at Newville, PA., thanks to the support and loan of equipment from John Pepper and Keith Allen. The group I was with, is La Legion Russe, which portrays “a machine gun ... ...
The following is a report on the Great War Association WWI event from correspondent, Matt Gillespie: My New Favorite Hobby Newville, PA- My son and I attended our first WW1 event at the Great War Association, at the Caesar Kraus property near Newville, PA. We found the 88 acres of PA rolling hills adorned with bunkers, shell holes, trenches...
Today is December 7. Please take time to remember the service personnel and civilians killed in Hawaii on this date in 1941 – the ‘Day of Infamy’, as President Roosevelt so eloquently termed it. ...
For those of you who are regular readers, you know that the town of Mercersburg, PA has been the scene of a struggle to save an important historic structure, the Justice William Smith House. On Thursday, November 11, I drove there to see the house for myself and hear the story from Karen Ramsburg, who ... ...
Another post that is a ‘little’ late. It has been a very busy Fall. On the weekend of September 11-12, the PA Trolley Museum near Washington, PA hosted the annual Antique Truck Show. As is customary,28th Division, 110th RCT, K Company,set up a WWII living history display as part of the show. As I have ... ...
For the last two years, I have talked about making the trip to Petersburg, WV to see Topkick’s Military Museum, but have not made it. on September 24, 2010, I finally made it. While it is a bit of a hike from my home to Petersburg, the trip was definitely worth it. The owner, Gereald ... ...
I attended the Ike Farm WWII Weekend on September 18. This was the first time in several years that I had gone and pleasantly, it seemed that it had grown since the last time I was there, although, it may just be that I can’t remember that much about the last time. There were two ... ...
The following article was originally submitted by Linda Donegan to the Charleston, WV Civil War Roundtable: Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr In 1835, Henry Fitzhugh and his wife Henrietta settled in Ravenswood. They had acquired land and built a home on the corner of Walnut and Race Streets. They had come to Ravenswood from Fauquier County Virginia ... ...
A warm thank you to all veterans for your service to our country and its people. The debt is deep and profound. We should also take a moment to remember the men and women of the armed services still serving. God bless and come home safe! ...
November 10, 2010 marks the 235th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Thank you Marines for your bravery and sacrifice down through the years…and Happy Birthday! ...
November 2010 WWI – November 4-7. Newville, Pa. GWA Fall National Living History and Tactical Event. For more Information: http://www.great-war-assoc.org WWII – November 6, 2010,Arrival : Friday between 4PM and 10PM Saturday Between 7AM and 9 AM, Buck Springs Plantation, Warren County, North Carolina. 1943 Generic Eastern Front Event, Reenactor...
More in from Karen Ramsburg. Apparently the Fire Department is not interested in working with anyone to save the house. Here is a report from the Chambersburg Public Opinion by Roscoe Barnes III (no relation). “MERCERSBURG — A proposal by a local doctor to purchase and relocate the Smith House failed to meet specifications for ... ...
This in from Karen Ramsburg: Dr. Paul Orange, a Franklin County physician, has offered to relocate the Justice William Smith House in order to avoid having the local fire department from having it demolished. In a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Len Barcousky wrote: ” “I have a love of history,” Dr. Paul Orange said ... ...
The following report was submitted by correspondent Bill Donegan: Williamsport 2010 Event This year’s living history at Williamsport began with Kim sending me an e-mail message telling me that they had a “PACKARD” for me, for the parade. I misread it thinking it said package. I had a big laugh when Linda pointed out my ... ...
This was submitted by Reenactorpost Correspondent, Mike Momot: The Russian Mosaic Festival 19 September 2010 Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, PA The Russian Mosaic Festival is a celebration of Russian life and culture and includes the many republics of the former Soviet Union. People come from far and wide to celebrate in the festivities at this fin...
Here’s the latest from Karen Ramsburg on the Smith house, soon to go to Ireland….? “Decision in Fate of Justice William Smith House Approaching MERCERSBURG, PA- One thing is for sure now, the Justice William Smith House has two options: it will be shipped to Ireland or bulldozed to the ground. Mercersberg, Montgomery, Peters and ... ...
On September 4, 2010, the Reenactorpost and the Sons of Union Veterans drove to Jollytown, PA and cleaned up the Jesse Taylor Civil War memorial and repainted the guns. The SUV commander, Matt Gillespie, had gotten Lowe’s in Buckhannon to knock 50% off the cost of two gallons of Rustoleum. One can was olive drab ... ...
This one is a little late, but it has been a busy summer and fall (so far). On July 12-13, Bill Donegan and I drove to the Virginia Military Vehicles Museum to work as volunteers. The ‘Tank Farm,’ as it is also known, is located near Manassas, Virginia and contains an amazing collection of 20th ... ...
Over the past week, there has been a lot of press over the membership of Republican congressional candidate, Rich Iott’s membership in a midwestern German reenacting group, SS Wiking. Articles in the online version of the Atlantic and numerous other websites usually refer to Iott taking part in ‘Nazi’ reenactments. Apparently the ...
The latest and grimmest news out of Mercersburg concerning the Justice William Smith House, as reported by Roscoe Barnes on http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_16273782?source=email “If retired historian Richard MacMaster comes in with the lowest bid, then the house, one of the oldest in Mercersburg, could go to the Ulster-American Folk Par...
The crises surrounding the Justice William Smith House has entered a new phase with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette taking up the cause of preserving the site. Two recent articles on their on-line service discuss the issue. The first article notes that a museum in Northern Ireland is interested in moving the historic Justice William Smith House ... ...
The following is a reposting of a notice of a theft. Hopefully this will assist in capturing the thieves or at least recovering some of the items: Two historical sites in southern Colorado have been robbed in the past week by thieves who stole buffalo hides, historic weapons and cash, according to the National Park ... ...
Below are events scheduled for October (To the best of our knowledge): October 2010 Militaria Show – October 1-2, MAX Show (Military Antiques Extravaganza) Monroeville Convention Center, just outside Pittsburgh, PA. See: http://www.themaxshow.com WWI – October 1-3, Newville, PA. Western Front Total Immersion Event. Great War Association....